Air cooling system for pipe lines



April 13, 1937. R. J. SIMARD AIR COOLING SYSTEM FOR PIPE LINES Filed Nov. 13, 1936 Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES AIR coonnvc SYSTEM FOR PIPE LINES ltodolphe J. Simard, Lynn, Mass.

Application November 13, 1936, Serial No. 110,740 6 Claims. (01. 225-1) This invention relates to improvements in cooling systems and is especially adapted for use in liquid delivering systems wherein it is desirous of delivering a cooled liquid from a remote supply over a considerable distance to a point of discharge and at the same time maintain its cold temperature throughout the system.

Heretofore, in systems of this character, it has been found to be very expensive to insulate a liquid dispensing pipe for a considerable distance from a source of'supply to a point of delivery, owing to the cost of the insulating material and the workmanship required to cover the piping throughout its area, but in the present invention 5 there is shown a system wherein thedesired results are obtained in a simple and inexpensive manner. Therefore the principal object of this invention is to provide a system of the kind described which will be inexpensive to install and 20 be highly eflicient in operation.

This object and others hereinafter set forth are attained by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view of a liquid dispensing system,

25 partly in section, showing both the supply and delivery ends of the system;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the insulated pipes taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

30 Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and a Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

' Similar reference numerals in all of the figures 35 of the drawing designate like parts.

The drawingshows a representation of a system for dispensing a beverage from a series of .faucets Ill which project through a front wall of a cooling tank I I wherein are made the pipe con- 40 nections to the faucets. In the present instance only three faucets II) are shown and three pipe lines l2, l3 and I4, but it is understood that the number of faucets and pipe lines can be varied to more or less as the necessity arises.

4.5 These pipes l2, l3 and M extend from the faucets Ill to and through a pipe cooling conduit l5 whose upper end is connected in any suitable manner to a horizontal partition I6 positioned above the floor of the tank H and so constructed 50 to provide an air escape opening I! preferably located at one side of the tank to permit the passage of cooled air from the upper compartment [8 of the tank to a lower compartment IQ for and suitably secured to the bottom thereof is an air return pipe 20 whose upper end is open to receive the air from the lower compartment I9 and permit it to descend to a refrigeration chamber 2| through its lower open end which is suitably 5 secured to the top wall of said chamber.

Refrigeration chamber 2| is preferably cooled by. a suitable refrigerating apparatus 22 and in this chamber is stored the liquid holding receptacles, such as kegs 23 or the like, and from 10 which is drawn the beverage that is supplied to the faucets Ill. The entire area of the chamber 2| is suitably cooled and cold air is drawn therefrom at or near its bottom by a pipe 24 which is connected to a suitable fan 25 which sucks the air from the bottom of the cooling chamber through the pipe 24 and forces the cold air through the cooling conduit l5 and thereby cools the pipes l2, l3 and I4 and the contents contained therein.

Each of the pipes l2, l3 and i4 is connected in the usual manner to the supply receptacles 23 by suitable flexible connections 26 and enter the cooling conduit l5 at one side thereof as plainly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. I

Suitable spacing means such as spiders 21 are arranged in the separate pipes of the system to maintain them in proper position relative to each other.

As a further precaution of protecting the cool- 30 ing pipes from heat, a dead-air-pipe or tube 28 is used to cover the exposed portions of the cooling pipes, that is, those portions which extend from tank to tank or chamber as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

In operation, the refrigerating apparatus 22 lowers the temperature in tank or chamber 2| and the fan or pump sucks the cold air from the bottom of said chamber and forces it through the pipe l5 and around the liquid dispensing pipes l2, l3 and it. These dispensing pipes and contents are cooled primarily in the chamber 2| where they are exposed to cold temperature; thus the dispensing pipes are maintained cold throughout their entire length, and as the cold air in pipe l5 discharges into the upper compartment of the discharge tank Ill, said tank is maintained cold, which efiectually cools the liquid in the faucet pipes. Hence the liquid served from the faucets will be of a proper temperature to secure the most favorable results. The cold air, after cooling the faucet connections in the upper compartment l8, descends into the lower compartment l9, passes through the pipe 20 and contimes its passage. discharging into the tank or chamber 2| where it is re-cooled to be used again through pipe l5. Thus the cold air is used to cool the pipes l2, l3 and I4 and their contents, also the faucet tank ill, and is further used on its passage to the chamber 2| to provide a cold insulation for the pipes l5, l2, I3 and I4.

It has been found that the above described system is most economical to install and that the distance between the supply tank and the serving tank can be unlimited without appreciable loss of cooling temperature.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a system of the type described, a main cooling chamber having a refrigerating apparatus for cooling the same, a cooling tank located a distance from said main cooling chamber, a liquid conveying pipe line connecting said cooling chamber and said cooling tank, a cooled air conveying pipe line surrounding the liquid pipe line and extending from the chamber to the tank to maintain the liquid pipe line cold, pipe means surrounding said cooled air conveying pipe line for returning the cold air from the tank to said chamber, and means for forcing the cold air from the chamber through the air conveying pipe surrounding the liquid pipe line to said cooling tank.

2. In a system of the type described, a main cooling chamber having a refrigerating apparatus for cooling the same, a cooling tank located a distance from said main cooling chamber embodying an upper and a lower compartment, a liquid conveying pipe line connecting said cooling chamber and said cooling tank, a cooled air conveying pipe line surrounding the liquid pipe line and extending from the chamber to the tank to maintain the liquid pipe line cold and having one end connected to said upper compartment, pipe means surrounding said cooled air conveying pipe line for returning the cold air from said lower compartment of the tank to said chamber, and means for forcing the cold air from the chamber through the air conveying pipe surrounding the liquid pipe line to said cooling tank.

3. In a system of the type described, a main cooling chamber having a refrigerating apparatus for cooling the same, a cooling tank located a. distance from said main cooling chamber embodying an upper and a lower compartment, a liquid conveying pipe line connecting said cooling chamber and said cooling tank, a cooled air conveying pipe line surrounding the liquid pipe line and extending from the chamber to the tank to maintain the liquid pipe line cold and having one end connected to said upper compartment,

pipe means embodying a return-air-pipe surrounding said air conveying pipe line and having open ends connected to said cooling tank and cooling chamber respectively for returning the cold air from said lower compartment of the tank to said chamber, and means for forcing the cold air from the chamber through the air conveying pipe surrounding the liquid pipe line to said cooling tank.

4. In a system of the type described, a main cooling chamber having a refrigerating apparatus for cooling the same, a cooling tank located a distance from said main cooling chamber, a liquid conveying pipe line connecting said chamber and tank, a cooled air conveying pipe line surrounding the liquid pipe line and extending from the chamber to the tank to maintain the liquid pipe line cold, said cooling tank being provided with a horizontal partition forming an upper compartment and a lower compartment, said partition having an opening at one side to permit air to pass from the upper to the lower compartment, pipe means surrounding said air conveying pipe line for returning the cold air from the tank to said chamber, and means for forcing cold air from the chamber through said air conveying pipe line to' said cooling tank.

5. In a system of the type described, r plurality of cooled liquid conveying pipes c1: -nding from a cooling chamber to a remote cca ing tank, said pipes being surrounded a portitheir length by a cold air conveying pipe, re-- turn cold air pipe surrounding said cold air conveying pipe from said cooling tank to said cooling chamber to provide a cold air insulation for said surrounded pipes, and means for creating a continuous circulation of the cold air through said conveying and return pipes and also through said cooling tank and cooling chamber 6. In a system of the type described, a plurality of cooled liquid conveying pipes extending from a cooling chamber to a remote cooling tank, said pipes being surrounded a portion of their length by a cold air conveying pipe, a return cold air pipe surrounding said cold air conveying pipe from said cooling tank to said cooling chamber to provide a cold air insulation for said surrounded pipes, and means for creating a continuous circulation of the cold air through said conveying and return pipes and also through said cooling tank and cooling chamber, and a dead air insulating pipe surrounding said return air pipe and extending the entire distance between said cooling chamber to said remote cooling tank.

RODOLPHE J. SIMARD. 

